No, you can't possibly have done. Someone on UseNet said it couldn't be done, therefore you must be mistaken.
"Buy a new compass. The power needed to re-magnetise it reliably from outside the sealed vial is going to be considerably more than that needed to do a bare needle - I suspect impractically so."
MBQ
We had the 'walk in total darkness' thread a few weeks ago ... and I've been practising. :-)
One night in the early 90's in Sweden I somehow ended up in what seemed the middle of absolutely nowhere at a party. It seemed at the time a good idea to join in the fun except I had a flight back home via at about 7am, a short stopover in Copenhagen and a meeting late afternoon back in the UK. As the night progressed I realised there was no mobile phone coverage and getting a taxi could have taken hours due to not speaking much Swedish, me not knowing the number of any taxi companies, and everyone at the party who might have been able to help being completely rat arsed.
Fortunately It was midsummer and good weather so at about 4am I started walking in what I thought was the right direction by spotting a building on the horizon, the rising sun was no real help as I hadn't a clue where I was. If I headed in the wrong direction the next stop could be Norway. I eventually got back to my hotel, 'slept' in my bed for all of 20 minutes, then woke and left by prearranged taxi for the airport 5 minutes later. Until I got a few strong cups of coffee down me at the airport I really wasn't sure what planet I was on let alone what hemisphere.
There haven't been many occasions when I've totally passed on the SAS business class lounge at Copenhagen where one of the most notable features is that the beer pumps are on the customers side of the bar, but this was one of them. Despite visiting many times since and getting to know the local area quite well I still haven't a clue where that party was :)
There are plenty of night orienteering events in the UK. The start of the recent British Champs had to be delayed an hour or so because it was too light.
Unless of course one of you secret fantasises is being grabbed by the ghoulies.
That's a shame; it was an compass, a rare type only issued to second lieutenants.
You should have put it on e-bay. Someone would have paid lots for the pleasure of issuing it to a wupert.
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